Verse Annotation

Verse 5 - Only through Jesus do we receive power and grace to minister to others, anything out of this is not of God

Verse 12 - Our brotherhood in Christianity is also to encourage each other in faith 

Verse 14 - The Gospel is not only for elites but for all; wise or foolish 

Verse 16 - Be unashamed of the Gospel, it is a precious eternal gift given to us by God through salvation. 

Verse 17 - Faith is critical in our walk with God, His righteousness is made know to us through faith 

Verse 20 - Above living in ignorance of what God has revealed to you, that will be living in unrighteousness and suppressing the truth. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE 

Verse 21 - 23 - Human intelligence should never exalt itself higher than the intelligence of God, Do no let your heart deceive you, just because you know God does not mean you are his son or daughter. Even demons trembled at the name of Jesus 

Verse 25 - Our bodies always strive to be worshiped and obeyed, but we have to place God on the throne in our and priorities and obedience

Verse 26 - 28 - The fact that you no longer feel guilty for a sin you continue doing might be a red flag. God can leave you to your own desires and passions. 

Verse 29 - A space devoid of God only births these attributes, murder, deceit, malice, envy etc. These are things you can watch out for to see if God is or is not in a certain environment

Verse 32 - MAY OUR HEARTS NEVER REACH THIS PLACE, MAY WE NEVER GIVE APPROVAL TO WHAT GOD HAS WARRANTED DEATH UPON 

Reflection

It is an amazing privilege that we are even conscious of Jesus Christ and His work in our lives. God hast set us apart, He tells Jeremiah that, “even in your mothers womb I new you”. It is no secret that God has blessed us tremendously with the knowledge of Him. It is now incumbent upon us as his sons and daughters to be about our fathers will. We have been clothed and entrenched in righteousness; a righteousness that we have to abound in daily, in our offices, homes and friendships. It is our duty to share this good new to others in whoever capacity God enables us to. We will be living in unrighteousness if we do not share the word of God as that will be hiding and suppressing the truth which is the enterprise the devil bus involved in.

We also have the responsibility to live a life pure and restrained from sin. We can never negotiate with our 3 enemies, this include the flesh, the world and the devil. They are putting in their weekly hours and going on extra time. Our negotiation with sin only leads us away from God. A big danger in this is that, once we reach a place where sin is all we desire and we detest all related to God, God will not Armstrong us back to Himself. Romans 26 - 28 says God gave them up to their own deadly passions. We all have seen environments without the presence of God, we do not want that in our families, offices or relationships. We strive to always keep to the cause not by our strength but through the strength our Jesus and our helper the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

God I thank you for working in my hearts through Grace and awakening me to a reality I would have never known, taking me away from darkness. Jesus I pray for strength and courage us I face temptations, desires and passions that might conflict with your decrees. I know that god I cannot do this without you so I ask for your help and Guidance as I walk in this journey of Faith. Strengthen me Jesus and give me boldness to fight unashamed.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Verse Annotation

Verse 4 - God’s mercies and kindness to us is supposed to lead us to repentance, we are not to become rogue sinners who believe they will carry no consequences. 

Verse 5 - lack of shame and regret (awareness that you ought to repent - not condemnation)from our sin is an investment in wrath that will be delivered to you on the day of judgment 

Verse 8 - Pride and self satisfaction are a perfect recipe wrath and fury from God

Verse 11 - We serve a just God, one who only delivers justice and mercy never injustice 

Verse 13 - Hearing the word of God and not putting it into practice does not please God, Only those who put into practice the word of God please him. 

Verse 21 - We are called to a higher standard than those who do not know God. We are called to live a righteous life being faithful stewards of God’d gifts

Reflection

There is no institution that has been called to a higher standard more than Christianity. For this same reason much is expected from Christians, we have been trusted by many, given gifts by God and awakened into an eternal reality. We cannot afford to be found wanting, we cannot negotiate with the enemy in any way. Once we declared our christian identity we declared war on spiritual darkness that forever aims to pull us down or compromise our standards 

We have been privileged to know of our inheritance in the kingdom of God, this is something we cannot trade for anything. We teach and instruct many in this path. As stewards, how much more are we called to keep this same teachings. We can’t be double speakers, God detests those who serve two masters. We will keep the path till the very end. That we may be examples of faith and consistency in the different spaces we sit in.

Prayer

Jesus, I ask for strength to daily please you, strength to walk in your ways, strength to keep your commandments and strength to be consistent. I pray that you may help me to walk in awareness of the war that is raging, the war we have already won. I pray that you may help me to put into practice all the things you reveal to me. Holy Spirit help me to stand firm in all situations, that what God speaks through me may change me first as it changes others.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Verse Annotation

Verse 3 - Our inability to live according to God’s laws does mean God is also the same, we cannot attribute our inconsistencies to God. 

Verse 8 - God charges us to live a life of righteousness, we are called to walk in this path even if we think taking a tangent will help God’s cause. We do not have the ability to think for God, therefore we cannot come to the conclusion that our evil will birth his righteousness.

Verse 9 - We all were dead in sin, EVERYONE. Through the sacrifice of Christ we were able to wake up as new wine

Verse 11 - Without the working of grace in us, we would never seek God four ourselves. 

Verse 21-22 - Our faith is not in the law or in the prophets but in Jesus. The law and the prophets direct us to Him as well as bear witness to the righteousness of God 

Verse 24 - Justification by Grace is a gift, we did not deserve or merit just privileged receivers

Verse 27 - We have nothing to boast about because this is not achieved by works or our effort but by faith in Christ

Verse 31 - Our justification by faith does not call for the disbandment of the Law but for it to be upheld, not as a requirement but as fruit.

Reflection

We are privileged receivers of an unmerited gift. “Amazing love, how can it be that you my savior would die for me”. the Bible says we were dead in sin, not on life support not at the brink of death, but fully dead in sin. By ourselves we would have never been able to seek God or even want to. Our death was not only a blindness to the righteousness of God, but a blindness to God’s standards of morality, His standards for truth and His purpose for our lives. 

Through grace and faith in Jesus Christ we are Justified and woken up, not into our dead bodies ( sons of wrath) but as sons of God through Jesus Christ. Through this we are able to commune with a larger family of Christ and join in the eternal working of God. Our righteousness by faith does not make the laws of God mute, it calls and brings us all to the fulfillment of the law. This come sin not as a requirement in to the kingdom of god but as a fruit of his work in us. 

Prayer

God I am thankful for your love, am thankful for your grace, am thankful for your mercies and even more your son Jesus Christ. Thank you for waking me up into this new reality, a newness of purpose, a newness of morality, a newness of truth and my role in it. I pray that you may help me to be an upright person, that I may walk according to your commands. Give me strength, even more when my own fails. Help me not to negotiate this precious eternal salvation for mortal satisfaction. 

In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Verse Annotation

Verse 3 - Salvation’s always been through faith 

Verse 14 - We could never be able to fulfill the law without faith

Verse 19 - Our own realities might not coincide with the realities of God, but that should not weaken our faith

Verse 24 - Our believe in God and faith in him is accompanied by a full conviction that He is able to do what he promised to do

Reflection

Many times we find ourselves in situation that do not look like the perfect environment for god’s promise to be actualized. We get doubtful and start loosing faith when our circumstances don’t seem favorable to God’s word for our lives. Abraham went through the same period but his reaction was different. His faith did not weaken when he thought about his age and the age of his wife, He was fully convinced that God is able to do what He promised to do. 

God has spoken to us all but sometimes our lives can blur the clarity of his words and compromise our belief in Him. God calls us to a full conviction of faith in Him. the Bible says that He (God) who begun a good work in you, shall bring it into completion. God will always come through, He never fails and never will. So if you’re waiting for a call, a document, an answer or meeting, know this, God is with you. Do not weaken your faith and walk away from His path.

Prayer

Jesus thank you for your faithfulness in my life, thank you for your love and care. I pray God that you may increase my faith in you and your promises, that I may have full conviction and faith in your promises. I pray that even though my circumstances look different from your word, that my faith may not be weakened but I will always stand strong in your word and promises. 

In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Verse Annotation

Verse 3 - Our battle with the flesh the world and the devil might be painful but it produces endurance, which shapes us and ultimately gives us hope for that which we see not ( building our faith)

Verse 8 - Christ died for us while we were still active sinners, He did not find us pleasing God and ready to go, he found us lost as sons of wrath.

Verse 10 - We were saved by an unmerited grace and love, how much more will we take part of this grace and love now that we are in the kingdom 

Verse 19 - One mans disobedience made many sinners and sons of wrath but one mans obedience made many righteousness and sons of God

Reflection

Our lives are not just restrained to what we do for ourselves, our jobs or how we see the world. It is much more than that; our obedience or disobedience to God’s word has an effect on many lives that we are not even conscious of. When Paul says suffering produces hope, he encourages us to walk in faith and boldness not negotiating with the devil on any front on any scale. Our walk with God not only affects us but also those who look upon us, those we mentor and give guidance to whether we are alive to it or not 

We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against powers of darkness spiritual wickedness in high places. Our mind should always be aware of this, not anxious but alert. We are called to be faithful watchmen till the return of Jesus Christ. Our battles not only have individual and personal consequences but corporal and communal as well. May this be an encouragement to us to keep up the good fight, not by our strength but by the strength of God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit our helper. 

Prayer

I need you Jesus, I need your power, I need your strength, I need you in my life; ever present. There is no way am fighting and walking this path of righteousness without you Jesus. I ask for your guidance and sustenance. Forgive me where I have fallen short of your commands and help me to walk boldly in faith, in the knowledge that, just as one mans disobedience made many sinners, your act of obedience gave me righteousness. 

In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Verse Annotation

Verse 2 - We cannot live in sin no more, we are to sin. 

Verse 6 - We are no longer slaves to sin, it has no power over us. Only that which we entertain or negotiate with/allow in our lives can compromise us.  

Verse 8 - Because Jesus is alive, we are alive in him. 

Verse 12 - Our mortal body may desire passion of sin but we are to restrain it by the power of Jesus, in that sin will not territory in us. 

Verse 13 - We are called to be instruments of righteousness

Verse 16 - We get conformed consciously and unconsciously into either slavery to sin that leads to death or obedience to God that leads to life. 

Verse 18 - We are no longer slaves of sin but captives of righteousness

Verse 19 - What we work on daily bears fruit whether it is lawlessness or sanctification

Verse 23 - The final analysis of sin is Death and separation from God but the free gift of God/by God is eternal life in Jesus Christ 

Reflection

I have talked to many people who reason that, I can live life free from all influence and conformities from anyone. Truth is, we get conformed one way or another, there is no neutralism in the world, the bar swings one way or the other. If we are not conscious to the things of God then naturally we will be conscious to the things not of God, but if we are copious of the things of God, then naturally our motives, behaviors, attitudes and desires will be of God. 

The human mind is always inclined to short term success and gain, but as Christians we are called to always bear in mind the things of God; always with eternal considerations. Our fleshly desires have a very much predictable end and demise, that is death and separation from God. The good news is that we have been given a free gift, one which the giver does made the first step. This gift is eternal life by god in Christ Jesus. 

Prayer

Thank you so much Jesus, thank you for your gift and sacrifice for me. Help me to always be conscious of eternal considerations, may my life not be a mundane cycle of problem solving daily, I pray that you may lead me and reveal to me what to do, how to do it, and when to it. I pray that my actions will have positive eternal ramifications 

In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Verse Annotation

Verse 4-5 - We have been set free from the sinful passions that entangle us in a pursuit to death 

Verse 6 - We are called to serve Christ in our newness not in our old ways 

Verse 13 - Sin can so work in us that even that which is good gets corrupted to produce fruits of death 

Verse 15 - May God give us the strength to do what is right 

Verse 18 - Without the help of God we cannot carry out these righteous ideals and duties we bare. 

Verse 21 - When we seek to do what pleases God, that is when evil comes alive and is active to dismay us. 

Verse 25 - May the decrees of God not only be a theory to us but a lifestyle and practical way of life. 

Reflection

One of my favorite prayers in the History of the church is the prayer by St Augustine. St Augustine once prayed, God give me the strength to do that which you command me to do. He was so real for this. He came to a realization similar to Paul, who both realized that their flesh is weak and has fiery passions that inevitably lead to death. Even though Our Chains are broken and we’ve been set free, sin sought of seems to be more energetic the more we learn and desire to do that which is pleasing to God. This is our constant warfare; we cannot give any ground. We have seen many fall, and we have seen many die in sin. We certainly cannot go back to Egypt at this juncture. 

It is very easy for the decrees of God to be like some old vintage thesis/dissertation on some high shelf. We may even make them really nice house decorations. Am sure most of us grew up with “rules of the house” hanging somewhere. Truth is, even though we hang all these encouraging and eternally impactful messages on all walls, it would still be foreign to us. We have to take the next action step; we have to internalize the commandments of God and make them our lifestyle. In that way, our body grows to naturally or naturally bend to the will of God.

Prayer

God, we thank you for the love you have shown us, the patience and grace you have extended to us even when we were lost. Jesus, we pray that you may give us the strength to do that which you command us to do, give us the strength to do that which is right. Help us not to just use your word as a decoration around our life, but may it change us in totality and renew us. Revive us God. 

In Jesus name I pray, Amen

Verse Annotation

Verse 1 - There is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus; we have been saved and acquitted by Jesus Christ. Let us therefore not condemn ourselves. 

Verse 4 - We are not able to fulfill the law apart from Christ

Verse 6 - The flesh dead in sin only produces death, as the spirit produces life

Verse 7 - A mind focused on the things of this world and its sin is hostile to God and will never please God 

Verse 13 - By the Spirit (Prayer), we fight the flesh and put it to death

Reflection

We are truly privileged to have such a God, such a father, such a brother, and a close friend. We were rescued not from the hospital table but from death. There was nothing we could do by ourselves that would change our predicament, BUT Jesus, in his love and grace, sacrificed himself for all of us, so that we may be free from sin and death to live in life and life in abundance.

We therefore cannot afford to negotiate with former routines our flesh was made habitual to. We have to keep our minds focused on the eternal, on the things of the spirit. We cannot entertain any forms of pragmatism in our Christian walk; we cannot do anything just cause it works for that moment or entertain hedonism. Our joy, pleasure, and success should come not from our earthly conditions dead in sin but from God, who is eternal and sovereign over all. 

Prayer

Jesus, we thank you for your love for us, a love so deep that you sacrificed yourself for us who were dead in sin, thank you for taking away our condemnation. Jesus, we pray that you may show us places in my life where I have entertained pragmatic or hedonistic views that go contrary to your word. Help me to walk in faith and run this race with perseverance in the place you have put me. I pray for strength to fight against temptation and strength to seek you more and more daily.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen

Verse Annotation

Verse 14 - God is not unjust in his workings; He is not evil. He has given us unmerited mercy time after time, compassion we did not deserve. 

Verse 16 - It is not about how much strength and will we have, but only God. 

Verse 30 - God does not drag people kicking on the ground into righteousness while locking out those who are willing and want to be in the kingdom. 

Reflection

This is a very dicey topic in the Christian family of faith, one that I believe should not be. The Bible clearly teaches predestination without confusion or lack of clarity. The key point that is very important to have is what Paul mentions. God does not give injustice to his people; He only gives Justice and mercy. God does not punish the righteous while rewarding the wicked. This is a false rhetoric that has been spewed in some facets of the Christian family regarding predestination. Another misconception is that God does not drag the unwilling into the kingdom kicking and screaming while locking out the willing from the kingdom. 

When God comes to us, the first he he does is work in our hearts through grace. He makes us, the unwilling, willing. He changes our perception, desires, and likings away from the flesh, which we were slaves to. Predestination is very important in the Christian faith as it shouts the glory of God, His holiness, and mercy towards us. Let us embrace this doctrine and seek to understand it better as it touches on God’s sovereignty over our lives. 

Prayer

Jesus I thank you for grace, I thank you for your mercies. God, I thank you for rescuing me and setting me free from the flesh into a newness that I did not merit. Thank you Jesus, for your love and patience with me. I pray that you may continue to remove anything that does not please you in my heart and in my life. Purify me and renew my mind. Help me to see the beauty in your sovereignty and election of those whom you choose. 

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.